Impact welding technology as a carrier for product- and process innovation

Profil Titel	Impact welding technology as a carrier for product- and process innovation
Referenz	09 NL 60AF 3E6P
Herkunftsland	Netherlands
Kooperationsart	Angebot
Eintrag/Änderung	2009-07-22 / 2009-07-22
Status	Dieses Profil ist abgelaufen! Falls Sie denoch Interesse haben, kontaktieren Sie uns. (2010-06-21)

Kurzfassung

A Dutch research company offers an alternative technology for connecting metal parts. The process takes place at room temperature and establishes a true metallurgical bond between two sheets, strips, plates and even tubes, also when they consist of dissimilar metals. The technology enables applications that are very difficult to achieve now with common welding technologies. Partners are sought for -hightech - applications of this interesting carrier for new innovative production processes.

Details

Mining and demolition are the best-known civilian applications of the use of explosives. But explosives and their shockwave effects on materials can be used advantageously for many more materials processing and tooling techniques.
These 'shock wave' techniques rely on the highly dynamic physical effects occurring in an extremely short time period, in which very high pressures are generated without the need of heavy equipment.

These high pressures (shock waves) originate from the detonation of a carefully chosen explosive charge. The processes are usually performed at room temperature, which prevents chemical deterioration and coarsening of the materials microstructure.

When two metal surfaces are made to perform an inclined collision with a high enough velocity (>100 m/s), the pressure at the impact site will exceed the strength of the metal(s). A small fraction at and just below the colliding surfaces will start to flow hydro dynamically. Under the right conditions this flow will result in a jet that cleans the metals by expelling the oxidized surface fraction of the metals. Therefore, fresh metal from the bulk is being pressed together within the collision zone that leads to a metallurgical (electron sharing) bond between the two metals.
This technique is generally used for the surface cladding of large metal plates (surface area several m2) for the chemical process- and shipbuilding industries. The technique is made available by a Dutch research company for welding of very small surfaces (cm2), in order to weld (similar and dissimilar metal) sheets together by a seam-, lap- or even spot welding.
The most economical way to obtain the required high velocities of the metals is the use of an explosive layer to accelerate the metals in the smallest possible plate distance (only 0.5 -1 times the plate thickness). The mass of the explosive to be used is very small for line welding of metal sheets (typically 10 gram for a 1 meter long line weld using 1 mm thick aluminium sheets). The explosive to be used is conveniently positioned in a detonation cord that is mass-produced and therefore available at low costs. The use of detonation cords helps to reduce the mass of the explosive and makes it easy to perform the welding also on curved plate surfaces and at places that are not easily reached by equipment.
Above given aspects together with the ability to weld dissimilar metals creates whole new possibilities for the design and manufacturing of products that are made from (light-weight) metals sheets.
This technology can best be contracted out to a specialized manufacturing facility that is equipped and authorized to work with explosive materials. However, this technology can also be implemented in existing manufacturing facilities after some requirements have been met concerning licences, training of personnel and having a storage facility for explosive materials.
For large series, use could be made of alternative energy sources to accelerate the sheet metal, like pulsed electromagnetic or electroshock power.
Technically speaking this technology can be applied anywhere, in air, in vacuum as well as under water.

Innovative Aspects:
The technology establishes very strong connections between metals and more special: between different metals. The process can take place at room temperature. The innovation aspects of this technology are hidden in the future applications that will emerge from the co-operation with interested partners.

The main advantage lays in the high quality connection of different metals, which is hardly feasible with regular welding technologies. The company offers (test) facilities for product- and process development that will prove the advantages of the technology before implementation of the technology in the client's production process.